Positive Reinforcement:
Will Work for Coffee
Johns & Patrick
Johns & Patrick
Presentation Expectations
Honor each other’s time
Actively listen:
turn off laptops, iPods, cell
phones; avoid side
conversations; put aside work
Interact professionally:
avoid sarcasm, eye-rolling,
blaming students and families
for systemic failures
Positive Reinforcement: Definition
Positive reinforcement is the
presentation of something
pleasant or rewarding
immediately following a
behavior. It makes that behavior
more likely to occur in the future,
and is one of the most powerful
tools for shaping or changing
behavior.
Positive Reinforcement
Responses which encourage,
support, and empower
students to achieve positive
outcomes in school and in the
community.
Positive to Negative Ratios
Business teams:
– High Performance = 5.6+ to 1-
– Medium Performance = 1.9+ to 1-
– Low Performance = 1+ to 2.7-
Successful marriages:
– 5.1+ to 1- (speech acts)
– 4.7+ to 1- (observed emotions)
Chris Borgmeier, Portland State University
Positive to Negative Ratios
Gottman observed 700 newlywed couples as they interacted
during a 15 minute period. Based upon the positive to negative
ratios, he was able to predict, with 94% accuracy,
the divorce rate 10 years later.
Chris Borgmeier, Portland State University
Shouldn’t children this
Question #1
age already know
what is expected of
them and how to
behave? Answer:
Behavior that is
acknowledged is more
likely to occur again.
Behavior that is ignored is
less likely to be repeated.
No good behavior should
be taken for granted, or it
may decline.
Sprague & Golly, 2004
Question #2
Praising feels
unnatural. Won’t kids
think it sounds phony?
Answer:
The more you praise, the
more natural it will feel.
If you praise appropriate
behaviors that truly
happened, there is nothing
phony about it.
Kids who get praise will tend
to praise others.
Sprague & Golly, 2004
Question #3
Isn’t praise
manipulative and
coercive? Answer:
The purpose of praise
is to reinforce and increase
positive behavior with the
student’s knowledge.
Praise helps clearly
describe expectations
so that students can
successfully meet them.
Sprague & Golly, 2004
Isn’t giving a reward
Question #4
like bribing students to
do what you want
them to do?
Answer:
A bribe attempts to
influence or persuade
someone to produce a
desired behavior that
hasn’t yet happened.
A reward reinforces a
desired behavior that has
already happened.
Sprague & Golly, 2004
Won’t students come
to depend on tangible
Question #5
rewards? Don’t extrinsic
rewards decrease
intrinsic motivation?
Answer:
Tangible rewards should
be accompanied with social
rewards.
When a message that
recognizes a student’s
efforts as being responsible
for success is given with a
reward, internal motivation
will actually be
strengthened.
Sprague & Golly, 2004
Question #6
Shouldn’t rewards
be saved for special
achievements? Answer:
By acknowledging only the
“big” behaviors, adults send
the message that everyday
behaviors of courtesy,
responsibility, and respect
are not important.
Small steps on the way
to achievement need to
be recognized
Sprague & Golly, 2004
Question #7
Do students in
middle and high Answer:
school still need
acknowledgement? People of all ages,
including adults, need
to be recognized and
acknowledged for their
efforts.
Students of all ages need
recognition, praise, and
rewards particularly during
the difficult transition of
adolescence.
Sprague & Golly, 2004
Reinforcing Behaviors
Only reinforce behaviors which are
observable and measurable.
Clearly state the expectation –
Example:
Students who are quietly
standing in line, facing
forward, keeping their
hands and feet to them self
Non-Example:
Students ready for lunch
Acknowledgement Systems
Promote a safe and
welcoming climate.
Reinforce school-wide
expectations and rules.
Increase positive
staff/student interactions.
Prompt adults to
acknowledge appropriate
behaviors.
Why School-Wide?
Fosters a positive school climate
Focuses staff & student
attention on appropriate
behaviors and success
Increases the chance
that desired behaviors
will be repeated
Reduces the time spent
correcting misbehaviors
Guidelines
Reward demonstration
of school-wide expectations
(contingent).
Avoid trying to motivate
by withholding incentives.
Avoid taking away incentives
already earned.
Should target all students.
When Selecting Reinforcers…
Remember: Not everyone is reinforced
by the same reward.
Try to personalize the reinforcers by
offering variety.
Rotate through different reinforcers so
options vary throughout the year.
Tangible Reinforcement
Pair tangible reinforcers
with praise statements.
Pairing tangibles with
verbal praise gradually
teaches students to
become motivated by
praise alone.
Types of Reinforcers
Sensory
Natural
Material
Generalized
Social
LRBI Checklist
Sensory Reinforcers
Sensory reinforcers are things you can hear,
see, smell, or touch:
Listen to music
Sit in special chair
Hold a stuffed animal
Choose a poster
Watch a movie
LRBI Checklist
Natural Reinforcers
Natural reinforcers are things students like to
do/ask to do during free time:
Play a game
Read a book
Free time with a friend
Play a sport
Be in charge of materials
Put up a bulletin board
LRBI Checklist
Material Reinforcers
Material reinforcers work for students
who require immediate reinforcement in
smaller amounts:
Stickers
Materials: pencils, pens,
paper, bookmarks
Trading cards
Movie tickets
Food coupons
Juice drinks
LRBI Checklist
Generalized Reinforcers
Generalized reinforcers work for
students who can delay gratification,
as the reinforcer is exchanged for an
item of value at a later time:
Raffle tickets
Tokens
Poker chips
Points/credits
LRBI Checklist
Social Reinforcers
Social reinforcers should be paired with other
types of reinforcers when students are first
learning new skills:
Smile
Wink
Compliment
Effective praise
proximity
LRBI Checklist
Sample Interaction
Thank you, Suzy, for picking up the trash on the floor. Because
you demonstrated responsibility, which is one of our expectations,
I want to acknowledge you with a Beary Good Slip. Good job!
Describe what the student
did right.
Explain how the behavior
relates to the school-wide
expectation.
Verbally link the behavior
with the reinforcer.
Acknowledgements
Book – Best Behavior: Building Positive Behavior
Supports in Schools. Sprague & Golly, 2004.
www.sopriswest.com
PDF – LRBI Checklist: Positive Reinforcement. Utah
State Office of Education: Least Restrictive Behavior
Interventions (LRBI) Resources.
www.usu.edu/teachall/text/behavior/LRBIpdfs/Positive.
pdf
PPT – Acknowledgement Systems: Catch ‘em
being Good by Chris Borgemeier, PhD.
Portland State University.
www.web.pdx.edu/~cborgmei
PBS Coaches
S uzy Johns in ck
Jacquel Patri